Drive-In Rack in Detroit, MI

Drive-in rack replaces aisles between rows with storage lanes. The forklift drives inside the structure and sets pallets on continuous rails, which can add pallet positions compared with a single-deep layout. The cost is access: only the pallets at the open end of the lane are reachable until you work through the ones in front. That makes it the right call for large volumes of a small number of SKUs - bulk buffer stock, seasonal inventory, freezer product - and the wrong call the moment SKU variety climbs. Drive-in loads and unloads from one end for LIFO; drive-through is open at both ends for FIFO, at the cost of a few positions and a second access aisle.

We lay out drive-in around your specific lift truck's dimensions and your SKU depth, then put the position count next to a selective plan of the same footprint so the density gain is a number, not a sales claim.

Detroit's warehouse market includes converted industrial buildings around Milwaukee Junction, food distribution near Eastern Market and manufacturing space along the I-75 and I-94 corridors. Those are different storage problems. A row drawn for wide-open distribution space can lose useful positions when it meets a converted plant's columns, lower ceiling or shared receiving area. We start with the building and inventory information rather than assuming one standard arrangement will fit every operation.

Detroit Pallet Rack is a division of Warehouse Equipment & Supplies Co. Your free warehouse design consultation connects the rack recommendation to pallet or carton dimensions, load weights, handling equipment and the number of positions you need. The CAD layout and itemized quote make the tradeoffs visible before material is ordered. Delivery and installation are planned around the agreed work areas, with one contact for questions about the drawing, the quoted components and later changes. The aim is usable storage that supports how your operation receives, picks and ships.

The design starts with the forklift, not the rack. Mast height, overall width, load backrest, and turning clearance decide lane dimensions, so truck specifications get collected before anything is drawn.

Next we look at SKU depth. Drive-in rewards deep lanes of a single product and punishes variety - if a lane never fills, you've built an expensive way to store less than you could have with selective. Where the inventory profile is mixed, we'll usually recommend a hybrid: selective at the pick face, drive-in behind it for reserve.

The quote itemizes frames, rails, rail supports, guide rails, and column protection, with a CAD drawing showing lane depth, rail elevations, and total positions. Experienced installation crews we schedule and manage anchor, plumb, and align every rail run, then verify a loaded pallet travels the full lane before handing the system over.

Because drive-in lanes take contact from lift trucks over time, replacement rails and guards are identified in the quote and kept available for your system as it ages.

Delivery and installation are agreed against the approved drawing and the areas your team can release. We review access for unloading, the sequence of rows and the material that needs to arrive first. Confirm the load assumptions before handover and retain the layout and capacity records for future additions. If the product mix changes, review the affected levels or lanes before putting different loads into service.

Recent Installations

A sample of racking projects completed across the region.

Drive-In Rack Questions We Hear Most

Contact Detroit Pallet Rack

Located in Detroit, we serve the entire Greater Detroit area with industrial pallet racks and warehouse storage solutions.